The Cast of ‘Gilmore Girls’ Had No Idea They Were Filming The Final Episode Of The Series In 2007
Gilmore Girls fans were afforded the chance to revisit their favorite characters in 2016 when Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life was released on Netflix. The much-awaited revival felt like it needed to happen. After all, season 7 seemed to leave the main characters’ stories open-ended. There is a good reason that the series finale may have felt a bit incomplete, though. Lauren Graham, who portrayed Lorelai for seven seasons, admitted she and her castmates actually had no idea they were filming the show’s final episode in 2007.
The cast of Gilmore Girls didn’t know they were filming the final episode
In her book, Talking As Fast As I Can, Graham said that she and her castmates weren’t aware they were actually filming the series finale when they walked onto the set in 2007. The network had yet to make a final decision about whether or not Gilmore Girls would continue past the seventh season. Graham noted that everyone knew it was a possibility and tried to treat the shoot with as much respect as possible. Their workday, on that final day, stretched well into the evening, recalled Graham, but there was no fanfare.
An eighth season certainly wasn’t guaranteed or even likely, if everyone is being honest. Amy Sherman-Palladino, the famed showrunner, walked away from the series after season six. Her decision was made partially because the network refused to commit to a two-year contract. After her departure was announced, Sherman-Palladino and her husband and writing partner, Dan Palladino, sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss their decision. She told the publication that she had enough content to fill out a few more seasons of the show. Executives at the network didn’t share her vision. Season 7 attempted to tie up loose ends. Rory’s graduation from Yale felt like an organic place to end the series, but fans were still disappointed.
When did Lauren Graham find out she wouldn’t be returning to Stars Hollow?
After Graham walked off the set for the final time, she carried on as if she was simply on a hiatus. The cast enjoyed a lengthy break after wrapping each season and were free to indulge in other projects. Graham said, in her book, that she treated the end of season 7 the same way. Several weeks after filming her last scene, she sat down for dinner with a friend. Her waiter approached her and informed her that her agent was on the phone. When she picked up the receiver, her agent told her that the show was not picked up for an eight-season.
Graham was the first cast member to find out that show was over. In fact, Graham and her co-star, Alexis Bledel, were the only two cast members who were privately informed that season 7 was the end of Gilmore Girls. Everyone else, Graham recalled, found out in strange and unconventional ways. For some, their agents shared the news as an afterthought. For others, the public clued them in on the fact that their longstanding show was no more.
What did Amy Sherman-Palladino envision for season 7?
Season 7 was not Sherman-Palladino’s creation, and it shows. Season 7 Rory and Lorelai were inherently different than Season 6 Rory and Lorelai. The secondary characters suffered from subtle shifts in their personalities, too. So, the question remains, what would Sherman-Palladino have done with the seventh season? She’s never mentioned exactly what she would have done with a fresh stretch of episodes, but everyone knows how she envisioned ending the series. Sherman-Palladino always wanted to end the show with Rory finding out she was pregnant.
That ending was written into the Netflix revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. While Sherman-Palladino got her dream ending, fans weren’t necessarily sold on the idea. Not only did it feel a bit contrived, but the plot points that got Rory from point A to point B didn’t sit well with fans. Viewers hope that Sherman-Palladino would have forged a different path for Rory. They also would have liked to see a different ending for Lane Kim. Lorelai probably wouldn’t have married Christopher Hayden, either. We’ll never know what Sherman-Palladino would have done with Gilmore Girls, given the opportunity, but there is always a chance she will pen yet another revival season. Rumors have been swirling for months that Netflix may offer fans just one more season in Stars Hollow.
